Introducing digital marketing solutions from Boston Globe Media.
LocalAxis offers a full range of digital marketing services for small and medium-sized businesses. For more information and a list of services, please visit localaxis.com.

Friday, September 27, 2013

There is no doubt that a ton of hype exists around digital
marketing. With regard to marketing strategies, it is the “way of the future”
and with over $100 billion ad dollars put towards it last year alone, it’s easy
to see why everyone wants a part of it. But digital marketing is more than just
a 100 billion dollar industry; it’s a fundamental change in the way advertising
and marketing plans are created, executed, and converted.

Have you ever played “telephone”, the game where one
statement gets whispered to a string of people? Eventually the message gets
confused, added to, and changed along the way.
In some regard, the same thing has happened with digital marketing. With
so many people talking about it, information gets distorted, built upon and
sometimes is flat out false.

5 Common Misconceptions
About Digital Marketing

1.)
Digital Marketing Is Social Media- One
thing that drives me crazy is when people use digital marketing and social
media interchangeably. Let’s make one thing clear; social media is a form of
digital marketing. Period.

2.)
Digital Marketing Should Be A Separate
Strategy- NO! Digital marketing should be a seamless continuation of a
company’s overall marketing plan. Just as a company creates a message that they
convey on TV, in magazines, billboards etc, that same message should be present
when sending out tweets, posting blogs, or placing display ads. The client
doesn’t distinguish marketing efforts; they associate content with the brand
regardless of where they saw it. Key take-away: keep everything consistent.

3.)
Digital Marketing Is For Large Budgets Only-
Actually, digital marketing can be the most cost effective way to advertise.
Online display ads are typically sold at a rate that is 3 times lower than
their print ad counterparts. When
looking at TV ads, the national average cost per 30 second spot ranges from
$35,000- $2 million. With digital advertising, a business can have a
professional video created for a few thousand dollars and then distribute it
pro bono with social media and other digital outlets or pay a low CPM cost for
video pre-roll or other types of paid video promotion.

4.)
Digital Marketing Is Hard To Track – Aside
from the obvious, that any banner ads running on the internet (like IAB
standard ads or other display ads) are trackable through cookies, other forms
of digital advertising, like social media posts and content creation are now
nearly just as trackable. Because of platforms like google analytics or
facebook’s built in analytics panel, digital content has become remarkably easy
to track. There are even tons of apps like Birst, Yellowfin, Bime, Tableau
Software and countless others that report on and track data for you. So when
taken as a whole, I would argue that digital marketing is the most targeted and
trackable form of marketing available.

5.)
Digital Marketing Only Targets A Young
Audience- According to a recent ETC study, over half of all seniors already
use the internet. As our world continues
to become more digital (bills, medical records, communication, news) more and
more seniors will migrate to the online space. What this means is that
businesses targeting seniors will have just as much success with digital
marketing as businesses targeting a younger crowd. What it comes down to, is
not avoiding digital marketing altogether, but understanding where in the digital space to send your
message.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

For
some time now, Twitter has been taking on Facebook as the most popular form of
social media. While it’s not quite the leader yet, Twitter is undeniably the
site to visit for the most current news and trending stories. Its popularity
tied with its purpose of sharing simple messages makes it a great platform to
connect with customers.

Here Are a Few Tips to Increase Your Followers on Twitter

1.Use hashtags, but no more than 3 to a tweet - bonus points if one of the hashtags are already trending!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Guess what the number one piece of advice business
professionals give to college students about to join the work force. If you
guessed join LinkedIn, you’re right! Our intern Margaret says she’s heard this
countless times, but never took it seriously until doing some research and seeing
what LinkedIn could do not just for her, but for anyone in the professional
world. However, there are a few things you must do before you can optimize the
value of this site.

1.Complete
your profile. It’s easy to get to a
point in your profile where you think “Okay, this is enough”, or maybe that one
part doesn’t apply to you. However, not completing your profile to the 100%
makes you look less professional to viewers of your profile. And don’t forget
to include a professional picture of yourself! It seems silly, but many users
don’t ever complete their profile - be
one of the few to show the effort, it counts.

2.Join
Networking Groups. Join groups relevant to your business area, as well as
alumnae groups. Create or join a discussion and provide valuable insight on the
topic to build trust from other members in the group. This is a great way to make
contacts and find sales leads that already have an idea of what to expect from
you.

3.Ask
for Recommendations. LinkedIn provides a place on your page where people you’ve
worked with can recommend you as an employee. Likewise, you can ask customers
who have had good experiences with your services to leave a comment on your
page. This adds an extra star to your profile, and makes an impression on those
who view it.

4.Connect.
One of the interesting aspects of LinkedIn is its ability to show you who have
been viewing your profile. While it’s easy to view this as just creepy, it can
actually be a valuable tool for networking. Reach out to these people and see
why they were looking at your page- a few might be weird, but the worst that
could come from it is making a new contact. Some may be interested in working
with you and your business, and you reaching out to them is a great show of
initiative.

Overall, once your profile is complete LinkedIn is a
great source for networking in your field. Get involved and take advantage of
all this site has to offer – you never know what kind of people you will meet
or what sales you can make from it!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

A few weeks ago, Google launched a new format for Gmail
that separates the type of email you receive into three marked tabs: primary, social,
and promotions. While users are now able to enjoy a less cluttered Gmail, the
promotions tab makes email promotions less visible to the consumer – a problem
all businesses, big and small, have to face. While we wait on the numbers deeming
the success or failure of this new tool, let’s talk about a couple ways to help your business stand out from the others under the promotions tab!

1.) Unique Subject Line: It’s always important when sending out an email campaign
to do your best to stand out. However, with the new format you need to try
twice as hard – your emails will be directly competing with other businesses
for the reader’s attention. Almost every promotion in my inbox right now
consists of a “Summer Sale” or a “Fall Preview”, so try something different! Include a “How to” or a contest subject
line that will draw the attention of the reader.

2.) Timing: We all get inundated with emails throughout the day, but there are times when we are more likely than others to open promotional emails. Try to schedule email launch times for optimal engagement with your clients. Best time include between 7-9 AM (to open during the morning commute) between 12-2 PM (to be opened during lunch) and between 5-10 PM when people are home from work.

3.) Become a "Primary": You can also
encourage your subscribers to mark emails from your business as primary, which
can easily be done by moving one email they receive from you into the primary
tab. All future emails sent by you would then be received in their primary tab
folder, away from other promotions and competition.

We can look at this change positively too. Now, readers
will only be checking promotions when they’re ready to see them and then you
have a more engaged reader. So stand out and get their attention!

Friday, September 6, 2013

With over one billion users on the site, Facebook
continues to be the most popular form of social media. Considering the depth of
the audience you can reach, it is very surprising to find that many small
businesses do not utilize the various tools that Facebook offers – especially
because use of the site is free!

As a small business owner, how can Facebook be valuable to you?

For starters, if you do Facebook right then the price
means you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. The site is a relatively
customizable and easy to use platform for you to interact directly with
customers and create greater brand awareness. You can share promotions, videos,
blog posts and more from your business to your audience through posts, and may
even go as far as generating discussions to engage users. It is a useful and
easy way to distribute content to a wider audience.

If you are hesitant to start a page because you are
unfamiliar with the social media site, then don’t worry! Facebook has recently
launched a more business friendly “Help” center in order to encourage less
social media savvy businesses to join the site. Facebook also provides advice
for marketing on the site with tips on how to build brand awareness, advertise,
and other feedback on how well your posts are received which is useful for even
the more experienced users.

Facebook is also a great way to get free endorsements. Interested
users can “Like” your page and posts, post positive interactions, or tag the
location of your business. If a customer writes a negative comment or has a question,
Facebook allows the opportunity to respond directly, saving face and educating
your client.

Finally, if you are a small business looking for targeted
leads, Facebook is a great resource. You can see who is interested in your
brand through their interactions with your page, as well as users who are
engaging online with your competitors. It is also a great way to keep tabs on
what related businesses are up to, as well as join groups of interest for your
business to network and make new contacts within. Overall, Facebook is a great
tool for businesses to take advantage of and if you don’t have one yet then I
encourage you to get started!